Former Farmington School Employee Accused of Sexually Abusing Cows

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Michael H. Jones (left) and Reid A. Fontaine (right) are accused of sexually abusing cows at a farm in New York. Fontaine is a former employee of the Farmington school system.

Updated at 3:08 PM EST on Tuesday, Feb 25, 2014

A former employee of the Farmington school system is facing charges in New York after sexually abusing cows on a Herkimer farm, according to New York State Police.

Reid A. Fontaine, 31, who worked for six months as an IT network specialist with Farmington Public Schools and resigned Sunday, is accused of attempting to have sexual contact with multiple cows. Police said another man, 35-year-old Michael H. Jones, of Ilion, N.Y., videotaped the encounter.

According to police, the farm owner set up a surveillance camera after his cows became anxious and stopped producing milk. He contacted police after reviewing the footage.

Farmington Public Schools Superintendent Kathleen Greider said the school district alerted Farmington police after learning of Fontaine’s arrest on Feb. 23. Fontaine resigned that evening.

“The Board of Education and school district place student safety as our highest priority,” said Greider, in a statement. “Once we learned of the arrest of this individual, we took immediate and swift action.”

She added that during his time with the school system, Fontaine did not have direct contact with students. Law enforcement and the FBI conducted a background check when Fontaine was hired and found that he had no criminal history, Greider said.

Fontaine and Jones were both charged with sexual misconduct and released on a promise to appear.